The file that destroyed a batch

The operator opens the SOP on their workstation—version 3.1, the one they printed last month and laminated for the clean room. The procedure says to add Excipient B at 45°C. They add it at 45°C. The batch fails.

Nobody told them about version 3.2. It was approved three weeks ago. The temperature window changed to 42°C based on process optimization data. The updated SOP is on SharePoint. The email announcement went out. But the laminated copy on the production floor still says 45°C.

This batch cost $180,000. The investigation took two weeks. Root cause: document control failure.

The archaeology of version control

SOP_Cleaning_Final.docx. SOP_Cleaning_Final_v2.docx. SOP_Cleaning_FINAL_FINAL.docx. SOP_Cleaning_FINAL_FINAL_reviewed.docx. All in the same folder. One was emailed to the team lead last month. Another is posted in the clean room. A third is what QA approved.

When the auditor asks for the current procedure, you're not sure which one to show. When they ask who approved it, you search for the signature page. When they ask who's trained on it, you check a different spreadsheet—one that may or may not reflect reality.

The gap between approval and the floor

An SOP gets approved on Tuesday. It's uploaded to SharePoint. An email goes out. But the operator doesn't read that email until Friday—if they read it at all. Meanwhile, they're executing the old version. They don't know the procedure changed.

The deeper problem: SOP version 3.2 was approved, but forty-seven people are still trained on version 3.1. Their training records say "current." The system doesn't know the SOP changed. Nobody invalidated their training.

In Seal, document approval and training are structurally connected. When SOP-042 updates from version 2 to version 3, everyone trained on version 2 has their status changed to "expired." Retraining tasks are assigned automatically. Until they complete training on version 3, they cannot execute tasks requiring that SOP. The operator on the floor doesn't use the old procedure because the system won't let them.

One truth, one place

Every document exists in exactly one state: Draft, In Review, Approved, or Obsolete. When someone searches for SOP-042, they see version 3.2. They cannot find 3.1 and use it. They cannot print an old version and post it. The system serves the current version and only the current version.

Version history shows every change. Comparison tools highlight what changed between versions. Signature records capture who approved each version, when, and with what meaning. The complete story is preserved—but the current state is never ambiguous.

Forms that become records

Form FRM-001 version 2.0 is the template—version-controlled like any document. When an operator executes that form for Batch B-2024-047, it becomes a record. The record captures which form version was used, who completed it, when, and with what data. Once approved, records are immutable.

Search works across records: "Show me all batch records where Operator Chen was involved" or "Find all deviation reports from Building 3 in Q1." The forms you filled out years ago become searchable data, not PDFs buried in folders.

Controlled printing and periodic review

When you print a document, the system logs who printed, when, how many copies. Printed copies include watermarks showing document ID, version, and print date. When a document is revised, holders of outstanding prints are notified that their copies should be replaced.

Annual SOP review is a regulatory requirement. Thirty days before review is due, the owner gets notified. If they don't act, their manager sees it. If it becomes overdue, QA leadership is alerted. The review happens because ignoring it becomes harder than doing it.